What do you wear to make shooting more comfortable

The original poster (OP) said: "After it was all said and done I have numb finger tips on my left hand." Sore muscles we can all understand but numbness is usually caused by pressure on a nerve and resolves quickly when the pressure is removed. The OP never mentioned how long this numbness effect lasted, just that he has it "now" and was photographing "last weekend." If it was caused by holding his equipment it would have passed quickly. Perhaps it did. If it has not resolved, it was caused by something else and he should see a doctor about it.

msmoto said:
Let's get this going again. I was out recently shooting some bicyclists in Greensboro, NC. Temp about 35 degrees F, windchill in the twenties. Camera set up= D90, f/2.8 400mm VR Nikkor, Manfrotto Gimbal, Benro CF Tripod, 20 lbs of sandbags from center column. What did I wear?

Aerostich Roadcrafter One Piece Suit in bright yellow with fleece jacket underneath. Gore-tex, thin but insulated gloves which allowed full control of camera functions. While the suit is a bit on the stiff side, it was totally wind resistant, and made it possible for me to be out in the 25 degree wind chill for nearly one hour with no discomfort. I set up equipment from my car about 50 feet away.

Why am I adding to this thread? One of the easiest things to happen on cold days is to become so engaged in the photo we are attempting to capture, we may very well get too cold. The potential for a disastrous outcome presents itself when our core temp drops and judgment is one of the first things to decrease. This could be a problem even in temps as high as the 40's F, especially if wind is a factor.

Be safe, be well prepared with waterproof gear and camera covers, take good care of yourself. There is no need to take chances with the weather when it is not necessary.

Be warm all....

It was great until kyoshinikon posted whatever the hell that image is.

Let's move beyond the medical stuff - that is not what this site is about nor the title of the thread.

"One of the easiest things to happen on cold days is to become so engaged in the photo we are attempting to capture, we may very well get too cold. "

I agree. I layer like crazy and purchase only after doing a ton of research for my clothing to be used when I am going to "be out in the elements." The newest breathable waterproof shells are just a godsend. What I use and how much I always start with my base layers that will pull moisture immediately away from the body. Moisture especially in cold weather is a slippery slope to slide down. If I'm going to be outside for any length of time I'll put 3x more (warmer) on than what I would to shovel my driveway as the lack of movement will chill you to your core.

One of the small things I have learned is to use light weight soft-shell gloves with huge mittens over them. Easier to shoot with and when you are done, the mittens warm you back up.

In cold weather I like a pair of gloves I have that convert from mittens to cutoff finger gloves. I haven't done much shooting in cold weather for long periods (I am a pretty fair weather photographer :) Other times I am usually just in hiking clothes <---although I think this can vary drastically by what you shoot and subject matter.

Worst idea I had was to go on a work trip with no camera bag. I figured I would just hold my camera. I went on a mountain hike with body, 12-24 F4 and 105 F2.8 and nothing to carry them in. After a 6 mile hike up and down the mountain I decided I won't ever do that again...I will fit a backpack or something somewhere. I wouldn't say I have gotten lazy, but I haven't had the chance to go on many long hikes and been in any weather that really required much thought about what bags to take and things like that. I so far have gotten away with my lowepro backpack and a bottle of water.

AND, while all dressed up in the same gear in which I can ride across country .... I was doing several physical exercises while waiting for the riders to come by... air boxing, punching into the air. Jumping jacks. Stepping up and down the slope at the side of the road. Waving to the cars going by. Some squats. A lot of rather benign exercises all intended to just maintain some increased degree of circulation.

This is, in my opinion, more important for older folks than for the younger. We, the older group, tend to lose body heat easier and cannot produce body heat as well. Our circulatory system is in general not as healthy simply as a function of age. So, what we wear may not be all there is.

Another point, related to the security thread about night shooting.... a lot of physical activity may be a deterrent to someone seeing us as an easy mark. The movement is disturbing to an individual who may wish to make one of us a victim. They prefer a passive target, one who is not demonstrating an awareness of the realities of the situation, i.e., temperature, wind, etc.

Layering always, I learned this from backpacking in you younger years.

First layer. I start with loose fitting clothing. Even when shooting inside I like knit shirts like polo shirts, long sleeve T-shirts and sweat shirts of medium weight. I combine this with loose fitting pants and yes, even larger sized underwear. No distracting constrictions anywhere for me so I can get into any position and not have the clothes constricting or distracting me. Aging brings with it enough aches and pains that distract.

Second layer, whatever is appropriate for outdoor weather which includes protection from sun as well as protection from cold.

Now if it is too wet or too cold or too hot I would rather just find something to do inside or shoot from some sort of cover if possible!

My clay shooting gloves - they are thin leather with a trigger finger that folds back,

+1 to Msmoto's comments on circulation - I have Renaud's syndrome which affects my thumbs so when I'm on my old Triumph, my pedal cycle or out shooting guns or cameras in the winter, I have to take care of my hands.

My first big employer decided that jungle fatigues and boots would look nice and be functional. ;-)

A 60's photographer carried 6 cameras (zooms weren't in fashion) with prime lenses and half with B&W and half with color. The film load was fairly heavy, too. I don't remember how much, but a god-awful lot. Naturally, we had an additional pack that was close to 80 pounds.

Luckily, in the military, fortune allowed the opportunity to shoot in the jungle and in the desert as well as high altitudes, but I've had a civilian career, too, that includes shooting snowboarding videos for Burton in extreme conditions (high tech clothing is your friend) and liquor bottles in Montana snow storms in -40° (it's the same in C or F), the former when I had my own knees and the last just last Winter when we had a Winter.

Mostly, what you wear is good sense, but if you have a budget, an assistant can really help in getting your stuff in and out of the site and in keeping up with it on site. The more 'stuff' you have, the more you'll strain yourself holding on to it.

Of course, there are some things like the gloves that one might not know about unless it's serendipitous discovery - mine was in fishing.

Gosh, I do remember the old, old days of film.... only I had just two cameras, both color, 300mm on one and 35mm on the other. The trickiest part was a windy day with dirt blowing around. Would sometimes stick two arms in a the sleeves of a jacket, roll the camera up inside and change the film "undercover" to avoid crap in the camera. Of course the jacket had to be shaken well first, but it helped to keep all sorts of things out including light when we used that "high speed" Ektachrome (ASA 160). The main trick was to not stick your finger on the shutter... not good!

Of course almost everyone had a dozen pockets, or a set up with loops like ammo for about a 24mm shell, into which we stuck film cans. And shooting four or five rolls of film was about the limit for me as the cost was very high and I was only looking for a few shots in most cases.

Modern day gloves I have found are best are wind stopping like a Gore-Tex, and thin. A big mitten with crab claws can be used after set up, but about the only thing I was able to do with these was push the button. And of course guide the camera on the tripod.

Minus 40.... only saw this once when growing up in Sioux Falls.... I do not think my Nikon F would work down there. Something like the shutter speeds became inconsistent or there was some problem. And the focus mechanism seemed to almost freeze up as well. I think I tried and quit, telling the client we would do it some other day. I also think in the 1960's I got like $3 or $5 for a shot sometimes... not a big money maker....ha,ha,ha. Some of us have been around awhile, huh, Mike?